For most people, Byron Days is a weekend filled with carnival rides, games, food, fireworks, and time spent with family and friends. For ACP Entertainment, it is much more than that.
For 18 years, ACP Entertainment has been part of Byron Days, helping provide the rides, games, and entertainment that make the festival such a memorable part of the Byron Center community. But what many people may not realize is just how deep ACP’s connection to Byron Center really goes.
ACP wasn’t simply a company that chose Byron Center as a place to operate. ACP was born, raised, and has always been based in Byron Center.
Before ACP Was Official
The story of ACP Entertainment and Byron Days actually started before ACP Entertainment officially existed.
ACP founder Ryan Strayhorn grew up in Byron Center, and his connection to Byron Days started through his family. Ryan’s dad, Rick, served as the festival coordinator, giving Ryan an opportunity to become involved with the event at a young age.
Before there was an ACP Entertainment, Ryan and friends Al and Nick were already helping with Byron Days, handling stage sound and lighting. Ryan also helped coordinate the festival and worked behind the scenes to make the event happen.
At the time, the focus wasn’t carnival rides. It was sound, lighting, and helping put on a great community festival.
Eventually, that work would turn into something much bigger.
ACP's First Inflatables Came to Byron Days in 2008
In 2008, ACP Entertainment officially began its journey into the event entertainment business.
The company started with just four inflatable attractions, which were brought to Byron Days that summer.
That first year was a long way from the amusement operation ACP has today.
Over the next several years, ACP continued growing its inventory and experimenting with different types of attractions. Around 2012 and 2013, the company began supplementing its inflatables with smaller rides.
One of those early rides was an Orbitron that was initially rented from a friend in Saginaw before eventually being purchased. ACP also sub-rented a rock wall from a local camp.
Around the same time, ACP added a Mechanical Bull and later a Euro Bungee.
There were some learning experiences along the way, too. One year, ACP rented a ride from a company down south, only to have the ride never actually work.
Those early years were part of figuring out what ACP would eventually become.
As the company continued to grow, the focus gradually shifted away from sound and lighting and toward amusement rides, inflatables, and attractions.
From a Garage to a Growing Entertainment Company
While ACP’s attractions were getting bigger, so was the company itself.
The business has operated from several different locations throughout its history, starting in a garage, then moving into a storage unit, followed by a larger storage unit.
Eventually, ACP moved into a 1,500-square-foot industrial condo. As the company continued expanding, that space grew to approximately 4,500 square feet.
Today, ACP operates out of its current facility in Byron Center.
The physical growth of the company mirrors what happened with its equipment. What started with a handful of inflatables eventually became a growing collection of amusement rides, games, and entertainment attractions serving events throughout Michigan.
And through all of that growth, Byron Center remained home.
The Carnival Rides Arrive
The next major chapter began in the fall of 2016.
ACP acquired its first carnival rides, which made their Byron Days debut in the summer of 2017.
The initial lineup included:
- Ballistic
- Pirate’s Revenge
- Euro Bungee
From there, ACP continued adding rides, typically growing the lineup by one or two attractions each year.
By 2019, the lineup had grown to include attractions such as Spin Cycle, Pirate’s Revenge, Ballistic, and Patriot.
The 15th Anniversary That Changed Everything
In 2023, ACP Entertainment celebrated its 15th anniversary.
To mark the occasion, the company proposed something different for Byron Days: a one-time, much larger carnival operation using a revenue-share model.
The lineup grew to approximately eight or nine rides, including attractions such as Ballistic, Mind Winder, Hypnotic, Pirate’s Revenge, a Ferris Wheel, the Slide, and Frog Hopper, along with two game trailers.
The response was far better than expected.
What was supposed to be a one-time 15th anniversary celebration became the new standard.
The larger carnival format returned in 2024, 2025, and 2026, continuing to grow each year.
Byron Days 2026: Bigger Than Ever
The 2026 Byron Days Festival marked the festival’s 90th anniversary, making this year’s celebration especially significant.
For ACP, it was another milestone in an 18-year relationship with the festival.
In 2026, ACP brought 13 rides, and three game trailers to the festival.
The growth from a few inflatables in 2008 to a 13-ride carnival in 2026 is a pretty incredible reflection of how far ACP Entertainment has come.
And it all happened in Byron Center.
18 Years of Being Part of the Community
For 18 years, ACP Entertainment has had the opportunity to watch Byron Days evolve alongside the company.
We’ve gone from inflatables to small rides, from a handful of attractions to a full carnival operation.
We’ve watched the festival grow.
We’ve watched ACP grow.
And we’ve experienced some incredible years as well as some incredibly difficult ones.
But through it all, Byron Days has remained an important part of ACP’s story.
That’s why being local matters to us.
When families walk through the carnival at Byron Days, they’re not just visiting a carnival operated by some company from somewhere else. They’re enjoying attractions provided by a company that started right here in Byron Center.
The same community that helped shape ACP’s early years is still a community that ACP gets to serve today.
